DREW ELLIS: A lot of positives for MSU in Big Ten opener, still work ahead

By
Drew Ellis, The Oakland Press

Saturday, October 5, 2013

Itís a week-to-week evaluation process when talking about the Michigan State football team.

The Spartans havenít earned the benefit of the doubt with any opponent based on the last 1Ĺ seasons of football they have played.

Still, Saturday was a big positive for Michigan State, as it defeated Iowa, 26-14, in a game that wasnít as close as the score indicated.

It was far from a perfect performance for the Spartans, but Michigan State did show some life on offense, totaling 412 yards on a respectable Iowa defense that was allowing just 15 points and 265.6 yards per game through five games.

Connor Cook had his best showing of the season, going 25 of 44 from 277 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. Cook isnít the worldís best passer, but he showed noticeable improvement from his previous outings on Saturday.

Cook had two lengthy touchdown passes in the victory, both of which were aided by his teammates.

The first touchdown pass was MSUís first play of more than 40 yards this season, as Cook found Macgarrett Kings for a 46-yard strike. Kings ran about half of the total on his own, but the key to the play was a great blitz pickup by running back Jeremy Langford. Had Langford not made the block, Cook would have been drilled.

The second touchdown pass was a good throw from Cook and a great catch from Bennie Fowler. Fowler had to extend himself to make the grab, but Cook was able to place the ball between two Iowa defenders. It was the kind of catch that Michigan State wasnít making in other games.

While Cook was better, so were his receivers.

Fowler had a drop early in the game, but quickly made up for it, fighting off a defender on a third-down pass that was short of the sticks, and turning into a first down that extended an MSU drive.

Fowler did something similar later in the game and ended up making a team-high nine catches for 92 yards. Kings finished with 94 yards on five receptions.

Itís no coincidence that the quarterback play, along with the MSU offense in general, looked better once its skill players started to make plays. Cook appeared more confident as the game went on, and that largely has to do with him having confidence in his receivers to make tough grabs. Cook isnít Peyton Manning. He doesnít throw a tremendously accurate ball. But, he does put the ball in the vicinity for his receivers to make plays. Saturday, those receivers made those plays. They will need to continue to do so if Michigan State wants to contend for a Big Ten title.

The Spartans did run for 135 yards against Iowa, but the running game never really seemed to find its stride. Its longest run of the day was a 25-yard scurry by Mike Sadler on a fake punt. The run game was lacking badly enough that Mark Dantonio decided to pull a redshirt off freshman Delton Williams midway through the game. Williams ended up with 32 yards on nine carries and will likely be a regular part of the offense the rest of the way considering he can no longer redshirt.

Defensively, Michigan State did its usual thing. The Spartans held Iowa to 264 total yards and just 23 rushing yards. Outside of two drives in the second quarter, where Iowa scored all 14 points and gained 140 yards, the Hawkeyes couldnít do anything. In 11 of 15 Iowa possessions, it was held to less than 10 yards.

I, along with many, have said all year that Michigan State has an elite defense. The Spartans donít need many points to win most games with that defense on the field.
Saturday, the MSU offense gave its defense some hope that this can be a special season.

The key now is consistency. The Spartans went winless at home in Big Ten play last season. While the next two games look to be likely victories, the Spartans canít afford to overlook anyone at this point. The offense hasnít proven it can succeed week-to-week or even quarter-to-quarter.

Saturday was a positive day for Michigan State and its fan base, but it was just one Saturday of eight in the Big Ten schedule. Time will tell if the Spartans can keep the positivity going.